Frankenheimer's RONIN (1998)

[Richard--W]

John Frankenheimer's RONIN (1998) is the last great action film to my mind. The action is done for real, with Frankenheimer himself in the backseat holding the camera during high-speed chases and bang-ups. He had guts, and he knew how to direct and edit action. There's no cgi. No need for it. What you get is a more tactile film experience. I love the melancholy tone, the low-key performances, the resonant mood music, the friendships made and broken, and the hardboiled story in which harsh consequences are paid for chances taken. RONIN is film noir action down to the very last grain in the raw stock.

What a superb film.

I wish Frankenheimer had lived long enough to direct 10 more just like it.